Lock-joint.



L. G. SHIPLEY.

LOOK JOINT.

APPLICATION FILED Nov. 19, 1913.

LIQZUQQO Patented Feb. 2, 1915.

LEWIS G. SI-IIPLEY, 0F DETROIT, MICHIGAN.

LOCK-JOINT.

mamas.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 2, 1215.

original application filed October 2, 1911, Serial No. 652,310. Divided and this application filed November To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, LEWIS C. SHIPLEY, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Detroit, in the county of Wayne and State of Michigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Look- Joints, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

This application is a division of an appli cation Serial No. 652,310, filed Oct. 2, 1911, allowed Sept. 21, 1912, for improvements in automobile tops, and the primary object of the present invention is to provide a simple and durable snap spring latch for maintaining a rigid joint or connection between the foldable or collapsible bows of an automobile top, the spring latch being manually operated when it is desired to break the joint between bows or sections thereof.

A further object of this invention is to provide a spring latch that has been especially designed for rule joints, the latch proper being shaped to snugly embrace a member of the joint and present a neat appearance in connection with the same.

1 attain the above and other objects by an inexpensive mechanical construction that will be hereinafter specifically described and then claimed, and reference will now be had to the drawing wherein there is illustrated a preferred embodiment of my invention, but it is to be understood that the structural elements are susceptible to such variations and modifications as fall within the scope of the appended claim.

In the drawing: Figure 1 is a side elevation of the spring latch in connection with a portion of an automobile top; Fig. 2- is an enlarged elevation of the spring latch in connection with bows or sections of a bow; Fig. 3 is a plan of the same; Fig. 4 is a side elevation of the spring latch showing the bows folded, and Fig. 5 is an end view of the same.

In the drawing, 24 denotes, by the way of an example, a bow section having the end thereof provided with an integral apertured lug 27 forming a central web and pivotally connected to said lug by a transverse pin or rivet 10 are the apertured parallel lugs 28 of a bow section 11. The lugs 28 engage the sides of the lug 27 and the confronting ends of the sections 24 and 11 have straight shoulders 12 and curved shoulders, the former Serial No. 801,787.

being disposed to contact and prevent the joint from being broken except in one direction, and the latter shoulders providing clearance for the apertured lugs of the bow sections. The ends of the pin or rivet 28 have large heads 13 of a diameter greater than the lugs 27 and 10, whereby the peripheral edges of said heads will extend over the edges of the curved shoulders of the bow section 24:, thereby closing the space between said shoulders and the apertured lugs 10 of the bow section 11. The joint or hinge just described is of the ordinary and well known type commonly styled a rule joint, and my invention resides in providing a novel spring latch for maintaining the joint closed and the sections 24. and 11 of the bow in longitudinal alinement.

The spring latch comprises a comparati vely fiat member 30 that has one end thereof slightly curved, as at l l and the opposite end thereof provided with an aperture or opening 33. The longitudinal edges of the member are rounded off or slightly curved, as at 15, and are provided with apertured cars 29 arranged in parallelism to cooperate with the member 30 in forming a channel between said ears. The member is therefore shaped whereby it can be placed over the bottom side of the bow section 2 1 and through the medium of a transverse rivet or its mechanical equivalent the member 30 is pivotally connected to the bow section. The apertured ears 29 have edges thereof in proximity to the peripheral edges of the heads 13, thereby allowing the pivot pin or rivet 32 to be placed as near the end of the section 2 1 as possible. The apertured end of the member 30 extends beyond the end of the bow section 24, and interposed between said section and the opposite end of said member is a coiled compression spring 35, said spring having convolutions thereof housed and seated in a socket 36 provided therefor in the bow section 2 1. The spring 35 cannot become accidentally displaced and the tension of said spring is sufficient to hold the member 30 normally closed for a purpose that will hereinafter appear.

The bow section 11 is provided with a pin 34: located adjacent to the end of said section whereby it can ride under the projecting end of the member 30 and engage in the aperture or opening 33 of said member.

With the pin 34 in the opening 33 the member engages the bow section 11 and maintains said section in longitudinal alinement with the bow section 24, thereby locking the joint in a closed position and maintaining one of the sections rigid relatively to the other. The pin 34. can be snapped into enga-gement with the member 30 and by pressing upon the curved end of said member the apertured end thereof can be shifted to provide sul'l icient clearance whereby the joint can be broken or opened without the pin 34 engaging the member 30. From the foregoing it will be observed that the shape of the spring latch permits of it snugly embracing the bow section 24: and that its location is such that ahand gripping the bow section 2i can easily operate the spring latch and break or open the rule joint. Furthermore, the construction of the spring latch prevents the bow sections 24 and 11 from rattling at their joints, and the ten sion of the spring 35 is sufficient to firmly hold the member 30 in engagement with the bow section 11 and preclude any possibility of the joint accidentally breaking or opening.

What I claim is In a spring latch, the combination with sections having a rule joint with heads at the side of'said sections, of a channel shaped member having apertured ears pivotally connected to the sides of one of said sections, with the edges of the ears cut away to conform in curvature to the peripheries of the heads of the rule joint whereby said ears can be placed adjacent to the pivot of said joint, said member having an apertured protruding end extendingfrom saidsection in the path of the adjoining section, a pin carried by the adjoining section and adapted to snap into the aperture in the end of said memben-said member having the ears thereof merging into the apertured end of said member and engaging the side of the section at the joint thereof to prevent lateral movement of one section relatively to the other, said member having the opposite end thereof curved, and a coiled compression spring seated in the section pivotally supporting said member and engaging under the curved end of said member for normally holding the apertured end thereof 1n engagement with the pin of the adjoining section and in proximity to the joint of said sections when said sections are folded.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

LEWVIS C. SHIPLEY.

lVitn'esses OTTO F. BARTHEL, C. R. S'rIcKNEY. v

Copiesof this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C. I 

